Saturday, May 31, 2014

The difference between rolling through and blowing a stop sign

It seems like whenever I read or hear of a cyclist running a stop sign, it's almost always described as "blowing through the stop sign", which implies the biker was going fast and didn't slow down. I always wonder, well just how fast were they going? Did they really blow through the stop sign, or did they just slow down and roll through?

If I slow down, look both ways, don't see any traffic, then proceed through a signed intersection without stopping, I'm just rolling through the stop sign. Doing an Idaho stop, what we called a California stop when we were kids. Not exactly legal here in Washington State, but a common practice here by both bicyclists and motorized vehicle drivers alike.

I'm sure if a motorist or member of the media sees this, their description would be I blew through the stop sign.

That's the difference, it depends on your perspective.

2 comments:

  1. Stop signs and lights are for traffic control. If there is no traffic......

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